“But Penn, Principal Prichard and I—”
He cuts me off harshly.
“You deaf? I said I don’t care. It’s not about Prichard.”
“Then tell me what…”
“Because of Harper, okay?” he snaps, kicking the velvet sofa. “I’m never going to leave Addy. Much less for your spoiled ass. She’s coming with me to college. Grow some self-respect and give it a rest.”
He turns around and stalks out, slamming the door in his wake. I suck my lower lip into my mouth, trying not to cry and fulfill his rude prediction. Pacing the room, I grab the back of my neck and pull at it, raking my fingers over my neck until the skin breaks.
Penn has a daughter.
He said he and Addy are not what I thought they were to him, but he lied to get what he wanted from me.
He got into my house and pants and then my heart, feeding me whatever bullshit line he thought I wanted to hear.
The door opens, and I twist, expecting to see Penn on the other end. Praying that he came here to tell me it was all a stupid prank gone wrong.
It’s Vaughn.
When he sees my eyes brimming with tears, he looks away as if I’m not decent. Feelings make him wince.
“Did you know?” I whisper.
He waltzes deeper into the room, clad in black, a teenage Lucifer out for misery and blood.
“That he was going to break up with me,” I explain. “That he was playing me?”
“No and no. All I knew was that you needed some privacy. Something you weren’t very good at giving me last night.” He arches a meaningful eyebrow.
Bitter laughter clogs my throat.
“About that. Are you screwing around with my best flyer?”
“When time permits.”
“Are you falling for my best flyer?” Esme doesn’t deserve a guy like Vaughn.
“I’ll fall in love with a pet rock first.”
“Don’t diss pet rocks. They’ll never die on you.” I sniffle.
He pulls me into a hug. A rarity I know not to take for granted when it comes to Vaughn. I bury my face in his chest and let myself crumple, feeling my bones shaking inside my body.
“You’ll be all right, Followhill.”
For the first time in a long time, I don’t believe this.
There is nothing more poetically inspiring
Than loving the right person
At the wrong place
At the wrong time
After practice, I visit Adriana at Lenny’s. I don’t want to be anywhere near the Followhills. I can’t look Daria in the face and dealing with my sister is out of the question. They both hover in the hallways like ghosts. Silent, pale, lifeless. Melody is on the verge of being committed. Speaking of Mel, she shoots me a text when Addy is serving me steak and green beans, clutching my bicep and telling me, “You work so hard. You’re so buff. If you ever need to unwind with someone…”
Melody: This house has rules, and I am tired of all the teenagers inside it breaking them. You are to be at home by seven every day for dinner. If you don’t have it in you to let me know you are late, you can always pack a bag and live with the Coles.
I flip the phone over. She is finally getting a backbone. Good for her. Not that I will ever reply to this shit, but still. Addy slips toward me, rubbing my arm.
“What’s going on, hon? You look like hell. Was the interview okay?”
All Saints High Saints and the Las Juntas Bulldogs both made it to the play-offs.
The entire town of Todos Santos is ecstatic. They interviewed Gus and me for the local news channels today. Both our coaches were there to make sure no fists were thrown.
“It went fine,” I say.
“What is it, then?”
I can’t tell her I broke up with Daria because that would give her ideas. I shake my head and stand. It’s time to face the Mel music anyway. I grab my varsity jacket and kiss the top of Adriana’s head. She holds on to the collar of my shirt and pulls me in, kissing my mouth. I groan and not with pleasure. She is erasing my last kiss with Daria.
Listen to yourself. You sound like a fucking maniac.
“Give me a chance,” Addy whispers against my frozen lips. “I can make it good for you. She doesn’t know you. I do. I know exactly what you need.”
“Did Via talk to you?” I ask conversationally. Addy nods.
“Don’t hate her, Penn. She just wants to see us happy. With Harper. Together.”
Later, Jaime and I arrive at the house at the same time. We meet at the front door. He is wearing a suit and a somber expression, but he tosses a stack of letters into my hands. Jaime has stepped up and, in recent weeks, began stopping by Rhett’s on his way back from work to unlock the mailbox with one of Bailey’s bobby pins and get my letters of interest.